When Kyle Nelson and Shawn Spieth started their business, MVPindex, in 2013, they knew their company's technology and services were unique. However, they also knew that proof of concept would be a major key to their success.
The MVPindex platform tracks and ranks the social media activity and digital brand value of professional athletes, teams, leagues, events, and venues in sports. Their data and insights help brands find digital brand ambassadors and optimize their digital marketing strategies. Despite the fact that social media is heavily used by sports fans, Nelson found that many b

Tax breaks and credits are available for a wide variety of business purposes, and small companies in particular can realize significant savings when the tax man cometh. Here is a look at specific tax incentives that can help keep cash where it’s needed most: on your company’s balance sheet.
Startup help
The federal government helps startups by offering up to $10,000 worth of credits for expenses incurred in setting up a new business. Many states have significant incentives for starting new ventures, as well. New York, for example, has a comprehensive program for expanding, starting, or r

How to spend scarce advertising dollars is a question that can make or break a new business. One tactic with enormous payoff potential is mobile advertising. With 7 in 10 people conducting local web searches on smartphones—and half of those consumers visiting a business within a day—making sure your business stands out to mobile users can give you a clear advantage.
It takes just a few steps to get started with mobile advertising. Consider these three tactics to find the one that best suits your needs.
1. Buy ads through social media and location-based services
Facebook® mobile a

Sure, you've got a smartphone — but are you really using it to its fullest extent to maximize your business productivity? Are your employees? Do they have the mobile tools they need to get work done more efficiently (and make more money for your business)?
An AT&T/Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council survey last year found using tablets saves small businesses 754.2 million hours and $19.6 billion a year. Here are 17 ways you could be using mobile devices to improve productivity and profitability in your growing business.
Retail businesses
1. Use apps like Square to enable m

National Entrepreneurship Week, the last week in February, was designed to showcase entrepreneurial education. Online classes and webinars are a great way to kickstart a new business or improve the odds of your startup hitting pay dirt. Here are some great new online resources that weren't available just a few years ago. The good news? They are available free of charge.
Online courses
Major colleges and universities are offering what they call "open online courses at scale," which is just a way of labeling free online courses that they hope a lot of people will sign up for. You can find thes

Network opportunity

Think of social media as more than just product promotion and creating interest among customers. Social media also represents a great way to find and build valuable professional relationships with like-minded business owners. Learn more

Good job

Read any survey about employee morale and you’ll see "acknowledgement" toward the top of the list of employee concerns. Take the time to express, both in person and publicly, the accomplishments of your team. You’ll find it’s the cheapest route to keep others motivated. Learn more.

Never lose a receipt again

To maximize profitability your business has to deftly manage receipts and have necessary paperwork in hand at tax time. How to do this? Consider one of the file organizing services that gathers and stores paperwork. Filethis collects paperwork from sites you give it access to and then stores it in its cloud based storage system or other place you designate including Dropbox, Evernote and others.

Build trust with a privacy policy

Privacy of online information is a growing concern. Reassure your customers and build trust by crafting a privacy policy and posting it on your website. Your policy should explain what information you collect and how you use and protect it. These tips from the SBA and Better Business Bureau can help you write a policy that puts customers at ease.